Kane-backed Seat Unique scores with first acquisition

A premium ticketing platform backed by England's football and Test cricket captains has swooped on a privately owned corporate hospitality group to land its first acquisition.

Sky News understands that Seat Unique, which has raised tens of millions of pounds in a bid to consolidate the 'experience economy', has signed a deal to acquire Circuit Hospitality for about £12m. The deal is understood to have been agreed this week.

Seat Unique, which is run by co-founder Robin Sherry, has been involved in ticketing for recent events such as last week's Evening with President Obama at The O2 and this summer's Oasis tour. It is understood to view the Circuit Hospitality deal as a step towards gaining market share in the traditional corporate hospitality arena, with a stronger foothold in Premier League football by virtue of agreements with Arsenal and Everton football clubs one immediate benefit.

Earlier this year, the company raised an additional £10m in funding from existing investors, led by Nickleby Capital, which has backed a string of technology unicorns. Seat Unique has deals with venues such as Wembley Stadium, Manchester's Co-op Live arena and the 16 racecourses operated by Arena Racing.

Harry Kane, the England football captain, Ben Stokes, his men's Test cricket counterpart, and Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, the 2012 Olympic heptathlon champion, are also backers of Seat Unique. A large Series B fundraising for the company is said to be planned for next year.

Seat Unique is chaired by Richard Flint, the former SkyBet chief who also runs the investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown. It markets original ticketing inventory, unlike secondary platforms, which have come under growing political pressure for their treatment of consumers.

Seat Unique declined to comment..